AG Filing Signals Shift of State Position on Mille Lacs Reservation

ST. PAUL, Minn. (St. Paul Pioneer Press) — Minnesota's attorney general contends the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation still exists.

In a legal filing this week, Attorney General Keith Ellison backed the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe's assertion that the band has 61,000 acres across the south shore of Mille Lacs Lake. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports Gov. Tim Walz supports fellow Democrat Ellison's move.

Ellison's statement attempts to reverse more than a century of state policy. Mille Lacs County officials believe the band has only a few thousand acres. The contentious issue could have deep implications for people who live around one of Minnesota's destination fishing areas.